Shimane Prefecture, on the San’in (Sea of Japan) coast of western Honshu, contains some of Japan’s most ancient and spiritually significant sites — Izumo Taisha, said to be Japan’s oldest shrine; Matsue, the only city in Japan with an original surviving black castle; and the Adachi Museum of Art with its internationally acclaimed garden. For residents making long weekend trips, Shimane rewards slow, curious travel.
Izumo Taisha: The Great Shrine of the Gods
Izumo Taisha (Izumo Grand Shrine) in Izumo city is dedicated to Okuninushi-no-Mikoto, the deity of marriage and relationships, and is considered one of Japan’s most important and ancient shrines — though the current main hall dates to 1744, the site’s religious history extends far earlier. The main hall stands 24 meters tall in the grand taisha-zukuri architectural style, surrounded by a series of encircling wooden fences and subsidiary shrines. The massive shimenawa rope hanging at the Kagura-den hall weighs 5.2 tons — the largest in Japan — and visitors throw coins trying to lodge them in the rope’s braids (a good omen if successful). October (by the old lunar calendar) is when all the gods of Japan are said to gather at Izumo for their annual meeting, making October the month without gods everywhere else in Japan (Kannazuki) but “the month with gods” (Kamiari-zuki) in Izumo. The shrine precinct, approached through a pine-forested avenue, has a contemplative atmosphere that many visitors find more moving than famous shrines in Kyoto.
Matsue: The Water City and Black Castle
Matsue, Shimane’s prefectural capital, is built between Lake Shinji and Lake Nakaumi, earning the nickname “city of water.” Matsue Castle (completed 1611) is one of only 12 original surviving castle keeps in Japan and the only remaining black castle in the country — its dark pine walls and imposing silhouette dominating the north end of the city. The castle interior preserves historical artifacts from the Matsudaira clan, with original wooden staircases and genuine castle atmosphere. From the top floor, Lake Shinji stretches to the west with the mountains behind — a particularly beautiful view at sunset. Horikawa boat tours — flat-bottomed boats navigating the moat channels that ring the castle district — pass under low stone bridges (passengers must duck) and through garden walls. The boats are heated by charcoal braziers in winter, making them remarkably cozy.
Adachi Museum of Art
The Adachi Museum of Art in Yasugi, 30 minutes east of Matsue, is regularly ranked by the Journal of Japanese Gardening as Japan’s most beautiful garden — a distinction it has held for over 20 consecutive years. The museum was founded in 1970 by industrialist Zenko Adachi, who believed “the garden is a living Japanese painting.” The 165,000-square-meter garden is designed to be viewed from inside the museum through floor-to-ceiling windows that frame each garden scene as a hanging scroll. Walking in the garden is not permitted; the visual experience of perfectly framed compositions from designated viewpoints is unusual and genuinely contemplative. The museum’s permanent art collection focuses on Yokoyama Taikan and other Nihonga (Japanese-style painting) masters of the Meiji-Taisho era — excellent in its own right.
Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine
Iwami Ginzan, in the mountains of central Shimane, was Japan’s largest silver mine in the 16th–17th centuries, producing silver that flowed into global trade routes via Dutch and Portuguese traders. The mine is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2007) — a surprisingly affecting landscape of forested hills pierced by 700 tunnel entrances, with preserved merchant townscapes in the nearby village of Omori. The mine tunnels (some open to walk through) are cool and dimly lit — bring a jacket regardless of season. The port town of Tomogaura, where silver was shipped, has preserved Edo-era warehouses 30 minutes away by car.
Getting Around Shimane
Shimane is most comfortably explored by rental car — distances between sites are moderate and the scenery along Routes 9 and 431 (the lakeside road between Matsue and Izumo) is attractive. By train, the JR Sanin Main Line is scenic but slow. From Osaka, the overnight sleeper train Sunrise Izumo arrives at Izumo-shi Station in the morning — one of Japan’s last overnight express trains and a wonderful way to approach the region. Lake Shinji sunsets from the Matsue lakefront promenade, where the ancient shape of the castle reflects in the water, are considered among Japan’s finest. Local specialties include shijimi clam miso soup from the lake, and izumo soba (flat, earthy buckwheat noodles) served cold in small stacked lacquer bowls.